Kogan Announces Australia's First (Two) Android Phones

We knew it was coming, we just didn't know anything about it. Well now we do: Australia's first Android phone (and one of the first in the world) is called the Kogan Agora. A second handset that will launch at the same time goes by the self-explanatory moniker, Agora Pro. Both handsets are available to order now for $299 and $399 respectively, although they won't ship until January 29 2009 to both Australian and international customers.

Spec-wise, there's a 2.5-inch touchscreen LCD sitting right above a full-qwerty keyboard. It's a tri-band HSDPA handset (running on the 850, 1900 and 2100 bands, so fine for NextG) and quadband GSM phone, measures in at 108 mm x 64 mm x 14.8 mm and weighs 130 grams. Inside there's a 624MHz processor (not sure who from), 256MB ROM and 128MB RAM. There's a MicroSD slot, Bluetooth 2.0 and all the Android apps we've been reading about from the US coverage of the G1.

On top of that, the Pro version adds GPS, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and a 2.0-megapixel camera for an extra $100.

Obviously we'll try and get our hands on one as soon as possible, but from the spec rundown and the photo supplied with the press release, I reckon Kogan's on a winner here - historically the biggest problem has been their UI on their products, and with Android taking over that domain, this could well be the "smartphone for the rest of us" Android supporters have been looking for.

Kogan Technologies will sell the Agora for AU$299 and the Agora Pro for AU$399. Both models are available for sale today on www.kogan.com.au. The phones are sold outright - with no contract - and will work on any network.

Both models will ship to customers - in Australia and internationally - on January 29th 2009.

Kogan Technologies founder, Ruslan Kogan, said the Agora is proof that his company is achieving its goal of offering the latest technology at the best value prices.

"The Kogan team have been working very hard to bring out the exciting new phones powered by Google's Android operating system at the right mix of price and specifications," Kogan said.

"We've been listening to customers through our blog, and crammed in all the features we possibly could. The end result is the best value, fully-featured phone in the Australian market.

"We worked closely with manufacturers and vendors to develop drivers, software, and tweaks to make the Agora an intuitive and exciting experience for everyone.

"The design and features of the Kogan Agora makes the phone appeal to both consumers and business users.

"The Android operating system means the handset can capture and play music, photos and video, surf the web, play games, navigate, and organise your life with extremely powerful applications."

Kogan has been a long time supporter of open source and Android™ provides a real alternative to Apple's proprietary operating system for the iPhone.

"Google is a key player in developing efficient and innovative online solutions for customers around the world. The open source nature of Android means the operating system will continually improve over time," Kogan said.